This is the Public Way

By Regina M. Torres

On March 11, 2011

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Gone are the good ol' days of being able to walk the streets of Chicago without being watched like a hawk. Thanks to the push-push efforts of our mayor, Richard Daley, our street corners and even the sides of buildings are being plastered with cameras that can study our every move and facial gesture, not to mention our habits and contacts. This is not to say that crime shouldn't be addressed in a proficient manner, occasionally using bolder tactics to accomplish the task of making our streets safer for everyone. But, where do we draw the line at protecting our streets and citizens at the cost of total loss of personal privacy?

Recently, the topic of Daley's desire to install zoom lens cameras "on every corner" has raised some eyebrows from concerned citizens. First of all, the cost of conducting such a huge project would put a price tag of $60 million on the shoulders of Chicago's already winded financial situation. Another issue aside from cost effectiveness is that Chicago already stands as currently having the most extensive and integrated camera patrol system in the nation, with 10,000 spy cameras already installed on its street corners, just waiting to report you to Big Brother. While Daley defends this by claiming that the cameras have cut down on crime, there are no factual figures available to back these claims. Will spending $60 million to have a camera pointed at every corner really make an impact in the prevention of crime? Apparently Daley thinks so. His argument is that he wants to install the next series of cameras in high-crime neighborhoods, so that senior citizens can go to church on Sunday morning or stand on a corner at 2am without provocation. Fine. Got it. But, really, how often do you know of a senior citizen that lives in a ghetto to go wandering around at 2 in the morning anyway?

Crime will happen in Chicago with cameras or no cameras, as it has for as long as Chicago was incorporated into a city. In Daley's words recently, "Cameras identify the individual who has committed the crime. Simple as that." Oh yeah? Not if you are a clever enough criminal that knows the value of concealing the face and body from being imaged (think bank robbers and the ever popular hoodie or gorilla mask). Perhaps then it is just a matter of time before the Big Brother cameras will have x-ray capabilities or some other invasive ability. This is exactly the concern of The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Daley shut down the moratorium call of ACLU to address any new camera additions, as well as placing stricter measures on cameras already installed. The ACLU also wants to put restrictions on the use of zoom lenses, facial recognition technology and the physical tracking of going from one vehicle to another. Long story short: Daley's not hearing it.

Goodbye basic human privacy rights. Hello Big Brother.